ROIS ET REINE

France, 2004, 150 minutes, Colour.
Emmanuelle Devos, Mathieu Amalric, Catherine Deneuve, Maurice Garrel.
Directed by Arnaud Desplechin.

Kings and Queen is an ambitious drama of relationships. It was written and directed by Arnaud Desplechin, director of Esther Kahn and a number of French dramas.

The star of the film is Emmanuele Devos, the star of Sur Mes Levres as well as Gilles’ Wife. She also appeared in Esther Kahn and several of Desplechin’s earlier films. She dominates this film, an intense woman, facing herself, her father, her sister, her former husband and the meaning of her life. By way of contrast Mathieu Almaric is quite eccentric as the ex-husband. We first see him suffering from mental disturbance at home, resisting the attendants from the mental institution. His behaviour with a psychologist (Catherine Deneuve) is bizarre and he is confined to an institution. When he is released, his behaviour continues erratic, sometimes quite charming, especially with Emmanuele Devos’s son whom she wants him to adopt as well as with his ageing parents. A scene with his father in his shop which is suddenly held up and the father surprising his son by being able to dispose of the guns of the would-be robbers deftly and quickly.

The film runs for two and a half hours, focusing on these two characters and their interactions.

What is important is the portrayal of the central character, Nora, and her relationship with her father. An academic, he has spoilt her. When she intends to marry again, she travels to prepare for the wedding but finds her father seriously ill and takes him to hospital. On his returning home, she has compassion on him because of his pain and administers an overdoes of morphine. This is shocking for her sister who berates her - but she explains her loneliness in trying to cope with her life and with her father. The surprising aspect of the film and visually arresting is the appearance of her dead father, speaking a last letter to his daughter in which he condemns her, calls her selfish and hateful, loves her but also despises her. This becomes the catalyst for her final choices in terms of marriage, her future, her son and his being adopted by her ex-husband or not.

The material is long and this makes it more difficult to appreciate and to be intrigued. Nevertheless, the performances, especially of the two central characters, and of the father, mean that there is a great deal to reflect on in terms of surfaces, reality, love and hate, fidelity and commitment.

1.The title of the film, the imagery of Ismael’s dream? Who were the king and the queen? Louis and Norah?

2.The imagery of Zeus and Leda? The pictures, the images, the myths? Louis and Norah and their relationship? Her giving him the picture? His letter to her and it being praise and assault of a personal and sexual nature?

3.The length of the film, the two parts and their effect? The range of characters, issues, the information given? The insertion of the flashbacks? The fantasy about Peter? Dreams?

4.The epilogue and peace for both Norah and for Ismael? Ismael and his talking to Elias, the discussions about his introversion, the wisdom of his insight into Elias’s character, his encouragement of him? The range of locations for the speech? The contrast with Norah at home? Her being with Ismael and Elias at the end, her final comment on the four men that she loved (not including Jean Jacques) and Elias and the photo album and his piecing the story of his family together? A satisfying ending?

5.Norah, her explanation of herself, her age, experience, relationships, her son? Her work, her interest in art, the Leda and the Swan picture? Her relationship with Claude, harassing him at work? Her going home to see Louis, the gift for his birthday? His weeping in the bathroom, the nature of his illness, her disbelief, taking him to hospital, the prognosis, the operation? Her ringing Chloe and Chloe’s hesitation in coming? Waiting in the corridor and her dream that Peter came back, was sweet to her, understood her, forgave her? Her desperation to go to Paris, a place for Elias, going to the airport and the planes gone, to the railway station, driving, stopping on the way, Elias asleep? Her wanting to see Ismael about the adoption? Elias and care for him? The return to Grenoble? At home, the nurse, her weeping, her memories of the true relationship with Peter, the fights, her pregnancy, his suicide? Her father’s action and the cover-up, saving her? His dying, the morphine, her not wanting him to suffer, giving him the overdose? Chloe’s return, sorting out the books and possessions after her initial resentment? Norah pacifying her? The wedding ceremony with Jean Jacques? Norah taking the page about herself, the visual of her father and his hateful letter? The party, getting some wine, burning the letter?

6.Ismael, his apartment, the seeming IRS agents and their being guards from the hospital, the nature of his madness, the stories of his going out as a musketeer, his anger, fight, being tied? His parents coming to visit him in the hospital and agreeing that he was insane? The psychiatrist, the discussions, his antagonism, his theory about women not having souls? Her grim reaction? In the ward? Phoning the psychologist, the discussions about his appointments, the long years in psychotherapy, his dreams, explaining them, the interaction with the psychiatrist, the fact that she was large, elderly and black? The visit to his sister and his sister’s resentment towards him? The discussions with his lawyer, his bankruptcy, the plans for saving the money because of his insanity, the lawyer and his drugs, going to the pharmacy, stealing the tablets? In the hospital, the role-play and his dance? The attraction of the nurse? Of Arielle, her drug taking, talking with him, the sexual attraction? His desperation, harassing the secretary at the reception, wanting to phone? His being signed free, the psychiatrist and her change of heart? His visit to his family, discussions with his father about the shop, his father’s behaviour in the hold-up and overcoming the burglars? The issue of the adoption of Simon, the reaction of the other members of the family, Ismael and his sympathy and speaking well of Simon? The visit to the grandmother and her Alzheimer’s, the issues of adoption? Going to the director of the quartet, the director ousting him? Getting his viola, the new job, joy, the recording, the visit of the guard, wanting him to ring Arielle? The visit and her party and its liveliness? His talk to Elias – and getting back to some kind of sanity?

7.Peter in the dream, sweetness, the contrast with reality, his desperation with Norah, Norah at twenty, pregnant, shooting himself?

8.Chloe, nice, cutting herself off from the family, Norah’s phone call, her arrival, Norah explaining the pain of her father’s death and her being alone, the reconciliation?

9.Catherine Deneuve as the psychiatrist, the discussions about the soul, about women? The African psychiatrist and her listening to Ismael, the discussions with him, the questions?

10.The staff at the hospital, the guards, their having to be forceful with Ismael, the nurse and her talking with him?

11.The sketch of his parents, their lack of imagination, their love for their son, the shop, working hard, the issue of adopting Simon?

12.Ismael’s sister, her angry reaction with Ismael, with the adoption of Simon, the inheritance?

13.The portrait of Louis, the professor of Greek, classical knowledge, his ill and dead wife? His birthday, weeping about his illness, going to the hospital, the surgery, the care for him, the morphine? His agent coming and asking for the manuscript, his getting up in the night and working on it? Norah administering the morphine? The letter – and his appearance to Norah, the rage of the letter, his love for his daughter, condemning her, having spoilt her, the incestuous overtones of love, his anger with her?

14.The range of music, especially the opening and the ending with ‘Moon River’, the other songs and their illustrating the themes of the film?